Monday, September 16, 2013

Recipe for Deliciousness

It’s a great event for fiber
shopping. I got lots of wool, but I also got other fibers: silk, yak, angora,
and some lovely kid mohair. Mmmmmm….

I always enjoy teaching at
WSWF. It’s a very well organized event, and the folks there are so
enthusiastic!

This year, food was high on
my list of delights. One night I went out to dinner and had a beef brisket
sandwich with BBQ sauce. Quite good.

On the last day of the
festival, I tried a lamb brat. Wow! I think it was the best brat I’ve ever had.
I can hardly wait to attend next year so I can have another. Maybe two.

Interestingly, lamb recipes
were a major topic of chat in some of my workshops. I mentioned to the students
that I’d be taking home some ground lamb from Carol and Paul Wagner (Hidden Valley Farm & Woolen Mill) . And I also mentioned that I planned to make lamb
meatballs. One workshop participant suggested I post my recipe on my blog. Good
idea!

(I know some readers might
find the idea of eating lamb to be off putting. For those of you who eat meat
but avoid lamb, just remember that when the lambs go to market in the fall they
are no longer babies; they’re teenagers.)

Amy’s Lamb Meatballs

1 medium onion, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

Olive oil

½ c. apple cider

2 lb ground lamb

½ - 1 c. fresh bread crumbs

¼ c. plain yogurt

2 eggs

½ c. grated parmesan cheese

¼ c. chopped fresh parsley

2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

2-3 tsp lemon zest (I used
all the zest from 1 lemon)

Lots of fresh ground black
pepper

1 ¼ tsp. salt

1 ¼ tsp cumin

1 ¼ tsp coriander

½ tsp fennel seed

¼ tsp cayenne

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

3 Tbs. Tahini

Saute the onion and garlic
in a little olive oil until tender. Add cider and cook until most of fluid is
gone. Let cool.

Mix well all of the rest of
the ingredients (except olive oil) plus the cooled onion mixture.

Shape into approximately 1”
meatballs (relatively small). Add some olive oil to a large fry pan. Cook the
meatballs over medium heat until done, turning them frequently. I like to cook
them until they are browned a bit.

When I remove them from the
pan, I put them on a paper towel-covered plate to soak up excess grease.

Here’s how I serve them: in
a pita bread sandwich with cucumbers, tomatoes, and yogurt. Oh so very good!

Note that the amount of each
ingredient is pretty flexible. The only ingredient I personally would be wary
of increasing is the cinnamon.